Letters

I read with interest in B&D34 that there is law against the use of insecticides in the daytime in Denmark.

Here in Bolivia we are not so fortunate. One of my neighbours has taken to fumigating his soya bean crops by aeroplane. In January he sprayed over my apiary causing much damage (see photo), but he is claiming that the damage was caused by my bees visiting his fields of soya bean which were in flower at the time.

He ignored that fact that he is obliged to warn me in advance of spraying to allow me time to close or move my hives. Two weeks ago he sprayed again, this time with defoliant clear evidence was left in the vegetation surrounding my apiary.

I am pushing my case with the Ministries of Agriculture, Aviation and Health. If this sort of abuse does not stop there is little future for beekeeping in the Santa Cruz region. Remarkably, the Ecological Organization in Santa Cruz was the least helpful of everyone I have consulted so far.

Peter O'Brien, Bolivia

To continue the good pesticide story started in B&D34, next list of pesticides with little harm to honeybees and less toxic to humans would be useful.

Also list of pesticides which are no longer approved in the North, but are still marketed in the South, would be very helpful and find distribution beyond the beekeeping community. This information is almost impossible to come by for focal farmers, extension agents or beekeeping associations, other NGOs or environmental groups. i have been asked repeatedly without ever being able to give an answer.

Rainer Krell, Italy

Ed: Is there an answer?